Taking your own cup while traveling can save you from microplastics
If you usually drink tea or coffee from a paper cup, it is a good idea to start using your own cup. Tejaswini Anantkumar, who led the Board of Governors at the Indian Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), recently shared a post, asking people to take their own cups while traveling.
In short
- Disposable paper cup contains plastic lining that breaks with warm fluids
- Up to 25,000 microplastic particles can enter the drink within 15 minutes
- Microplastics can accumulate in vital organs and carry toxins
If you are in the habit of drinking tea or coffee from a disposable paper cup, it may be a time to switch to a re -purpose. According to the researchers, warm beverages inserted in plastic or paper cups can release thousands of microplastic particles in your drink, and eventually in your body.
Tejaswini Anantkumar, president of the Board of Governors at the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), recently shared a message on social media, which encouraged people to take their own cups while traveling. “With your water bottle, take your own cup to avoid drinking tea or coffee in a paper cup,” he wrote in a post on X, Twitter in the east.
“A hot drink left in a paper cup for only 15 minutes can leave 25,000 microplastic particles.” He credited this information for a study in IIT Kharagpur.
Paper cups are not just paper
Although called the “paper” cup, these disposable containers are usually rowed with a thin layer of plastic – usually polyethylene – to catch the liquid. When hot beverages are added to them, this lining starts to break.
In a study of 2021, Dr. Researchers from IIT Kharagpur including Sudha Goel and research scholars Ved Prakash Ranjan and Anuja Joseph found that within 15 minutes of contact with hot liquid (85–90 ° C), the cup is released around 25,000 microplastic particles in about 100 ml drinks.
So if you are drinking three cups of tea or coffee a day in these cups, then you can swallow 75,000 microplastic particles daily without any notice.
Where do these particles go?
Once consumed, microplastic can enter our bloodstream and travel through the body. Over time, they can accumulate in vital organs in the placenta of heart, brain, kidneys, and even pregnant women, according to small scale laboratory studies.
“These microplastics can act as carriers for heavy metals and other toxins such as organic compounds,” Dr. Goel said. This can further increase health risks, explaining.
What are health risks?
Although long -term research is still ongoing, scientists are already warning about potential threats. Microplastics and chemicals used in plastic such as bisphenols, fathlets, and dioxine, are associated with a series of serious health concerns. This includes:
- hormonal imbalance
- Breeding issues
- Problems of increase in children
- obesity
- cancer
- Neurological disorder
- Immune system damage
In 2024, a study by the University of Columbia also found that single-utilized plastic bottles could release more than 2,40,000 nanoplastic pieces, which are smaller than microplastic and possibly more dangerous. These particles can pass through cell walls, reach the brain, and even unborn fetuses.
What can you do?
Experts say that one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce your exposure is to carry your own reusable steel or glass cup, especially when drinking warm fluids. Not only is it better for your health, but it is also a more durable option for the environment.
Your daily cup of Chai does not have to come up with plastic supplements. A simple switch can help you stay healthy, a sip at a time.
